@AndyShore I often forget how much time I spent in high school listening to the Grateful Dead. It took knowing each song from the opening notes last night to jog my memory. Back in the day, I would have a live Dead show playing in my car at all times.

Nowadays, even American Beauty is a rare play on my iPod. It didn’t take more than 15 minutes in the photo pit to bring back that loving feeling. Maybe even before that. I shared my excitement with several other photographers as we walked into the pit together. Everyone realized it was an honor to do what we were doing.

It didn’t matter that the Dead took the stage late as they opened up with “Sugar Magnolia.” I watched intently through my lens as Bob Weir sang through one of the first Grateful Dead songs I’d ever heard. I met up with @Rob_Shore and Gabe and we settled into a spot in the crowd for “Eyes of the World.” It was absolutely incredible to hear the 30,000 plus in attendance at Rothbury 2009 sing along to every word of “Friend of the Devil.”

Set one of the Dead also included my favorite moment of Rothbury 2009 so far. Warren Haynes took over on vocals for a cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” The steady swing of the Dead backing Haynes’ sweet, soulful voice had me in awe. @JordanLipshutz admitted to me much later in the night that it’s possible he cried during that song. It was just that good.

Set two opened with the appropriate choice of “One More Saturday Night,” though I’m sure for most of the Deadheads in attendance it was far from that. That made it’s way into the always funky and danceable “Shakedown Street.” After that, “China Cat Sunflower” segued into an “I Know You Rider” that featured a 30,000 part harmony from the crowd. After that, the Dead kind of lost me.

It is hard for me to stand during a whole show, with my ankle still recovering. I had to sit down during the extended drum jam, which opened up into a 30-45 minute space jam. That was about the point that the Dead lost my interest. I was tired, sore and needed to sing and dance. Soon, it was time for me to head over to shoot MSTRKRFT. Gabe later informed me that the encore included “U.S. Blues” with fireworks and “Not Fade Away.”

you are a fucking retard for leaving the dead show!!!!!!!!!!!! may be their last performance ever!!!!!! plus the space was amazing every single one of those guys gave everything they had to put on the best show i have ever seen in my life and will ever see.

The dead is dead
After more then 500 dead shows and 30 years I never thought I’d say
this but the dead suck and I hope Rothbury was the last show !
It’s been along road but it’s over. A piss poor performance and bad
energy inside and out is what they brought to Rothbury.
Give it up so we can remember the positive force you were when jerry
was with us instead of the negative crap you’ve become.

I think that Rothbury 2009 is possibly the best Dead show I’ve ever seen (I go back to 1987). I thoroughly enjoyed it and watched the whole thing intently from stageside.

The first three songs — Sugar Magnolia, Estimated Prophet, Eyes of the World — were just beautiful and peaceful, with the sun setting in the background. Bobby singing “standing in a shaft of light” while there are literal shafts of light shining through the trees toward the stage. Did anyone else see that?

Then the sun set, and things got groovy. Warren was great. Space got kind of dark and disturbed. I have great pictures of the screen with the band superimposed with the fireworks.

The biggest impression I got from the show was that the entire band really enjoyed themselves. Phil was grinning the whole time. For the past 4 years, I’ve been resigned to the fact that the Dead were no longer gonna play. After seeing this show, I’m very confident that these guys want to keep playing.

Dan, 500 shows must have taken more of a toll out of you than it did the band. Your opinion of the show is the only one I have seen that has been so negative. I was fortunate enough to have my 20 year old son get intersted in the music ( string cheese, widespread, yonder etc. and we were able to connect in a special way even though I could not see the show (last 2 years) with him. He told me that the set from The Dead was the greatest thing he had ever seen or heard. Put that in your empty pipe and smoke it.

The Dead at Rothbury was a positively epic show, outstanding in every way. Everyone had a blast, except some guy named “Dan” who feels compelled to attempt to spread his misery. Sorry Dan, but you may not be well. How anyone could complain about the Dead at Rothbury is beyond comprehension. My guess is that “Dan” has never seen Grateful Dead, probably wasn’t at Rothbury, and probably isn’t even really named “Dan”. My only point is – don’t beleive the negative hype put out by crazies like “Dan”. Its quite sad to read that negative review, but my sadness goes away quickly by remembering the party at Rothbury – it was Awesome…”Dan” needs a shrink or something.

I was not at this show…i have only listened to it and seen videos of the crowd and band.
We are talking greatful dead music from 1965-1995 (JG RIP).I’m glad that people are able to bond with their kids and some of the younger heads get a little bitty taste of what the dead used to be, and what the scene was like. To here statements that this was an “epic” show or “it was the best show i’ve seen” …..kinda baffles me, although there were Many epic shows between 68-77 and some in the late 80’s to about “91”. The Dead are no longer “the dead”…they have simply become a nostalgia band and i’m sorry to say it.
It even show’s with the crowd….the video’s i’ve seen and other dead affiliate shows i’ve been to….the crowd is not interacting with the band feeding them the energy and pushing them to their limits,even when the band was having a rough time. It is not the dead anymore….for christ sake you have to pay $15 just to get a live CD (without papa jerr’s guitar)…..i used to get into shows (when JG was alive) for $20 !!!
I hope people have fun at these show’s and it brings back memories, but i will probably never see them again….i couldn’t bring myself to do it ,especially $100 a ticket !!
I’m not gonna be a cruel about it as Dan Linzer but i would have to agree with him….i don’t think they totally suck but compared to the way it was…….actually i couldn’t compare it.It won’t bother me if they keep playing….i just wont go. What does PISS me off is them selling their downloads for $15…when it used to all be free (we have bobby to thank for that and i think jerry is probably turning in his grave. I hate to say it folks but the Dead is Dead…..if you wanna go for nostalgia or take your kids have fun, but we all know it’s not the same and never will be.

Honestly, I am not a big Dead fan, however, I am open minded, and was looking forward to see what they had to offer at Rothbury. This being true especially after seeing String Cheese Incident, which I had never seen live either, or really gotten into. I have to say that the Dead totally let me down as far as the overall show went. I enjoyed the first set, immensely enjoying the Van Morrison cover of “Into The Mystic”. But as the night went on they couldn’t hold my interest at all. Maybe it had something to do with the long, crazy, trippy break. I was expecting some big production like Rothbury did for STI…but it wasnt there. I mean the fire works were nice, but I would rather MSTRKRFT hit the stage on time.

I guess you can’t please everybody all the time. All I can say is I listened to the download which was free and legal by the way(thank you Bobby), as are numerous shows, and I got goosebumps and misty. Sound was great, Warren brings so much to the table. Deep, bluesy, soulful voice and monster chops – my god. I was experiencing just the opposite as someone else’s post. This incarnation called The Dead while having the skeleton framework of our beloved Grateful Dead has the improvisational acumen to just straight BRING IT!! Far from being nostalgic, more like a fine vintage wine the music breathes anew yet again deeply of LIFE and poetry and in addition it just happens to be frickin smokin. Since I have only been listening to the dead since the late eighties I can’t speak to everyones earlier experiences but what I can say is that I can have one reaction to a song one day and on different day because of a bad day or mood or whatever have a totally different experience. But either way, hey goosebumps don’t lie. After all this time . . . plenty of meat left on the bone baby.

All I can Say I really am SORRY and I Was having A really bad day and I’m sorry sorry sorry
I was outside the show and didn’t even see the show and can’t apologize enough I truly do Love the dead and miss Jerry and the band everyday.
I was having a bad day 2000 miles away at a bad and temporary time in my life.
I truly don’t remember actual posting this I may have been drink and or medicated at the time, but god bless the Dead,The grateful dead and all they have truly done for me my faith,family and friends and all I Know.
GGO BLESS